Tag: update
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Overwatch League Is Here: Update and Details

This is a two-part article on Blizzards groundbreaking Overwatch League. Find the overview of Blizzards official eSports league directly below and the patch notes are located at the bottom half of the article.

Overwatch League Is Officially Here

A year in the making, the premiere eSports circuit for the Earth-shatteringly popular first-person shooter, Overwatch has begun. The Overwatch League is an incredible step forward for the eSports community. Blizzard poured an impressive amount of resources into this initiative in order to make it happen. Featuring over 100 players, the league is made up of gamers from all around the world. Boston, Dallas, Florida, Houston, London, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and two locations in Los Angeles will all be hosting this immense competition.

Stage 1, week 1 begins today, January 10th. Six teams will kick off this monumental eSports competition. The event will consist of six teams competing each day from Wednesday through Saturday until the first stage concludes on February 10th. This is an arduous competition but this challenge pays off in a big way. At the end of each stage, a $125,000 prize is waiting for the winning team. The Overwatch League champions will take home a whopping $1,000,000.

To keep up with all the action, fans can follow their favorite teams and watch all the matches on overwatchleague.com.

Overwatch League Update for PC, PS4, Xbox One

With the Overwatch League making its debut, Blizzard released their Overwatch update on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Fans of the Overwatch League are going to be happy to hear that new skins based on their favorite leagues’ teams will be available. The patch includes a bunch of additional changes and bug fixes that some Zenyatta and Ana players might enjoy as well.

Before jumping into all the changes included in the patch, Overwatch fans are in for quite a surprise. The new skins will not be available through loot boxes which has always been the norm. Instead, the new league skins can only be purchased with League Tokens.

Ranging from $5 for 100 Tokens to $100 for 2,600 Tokens, it will be quite pricey to buy the lot. Each skin will cost 100 Tokens. All the skins will cost $1,200 so it might be worth picking out your favorite teams and sticking with them. The good news is that players will automatically get 100 Tokens just for logging on while the first stage is active (Jan 10th – Feb 13th).

Character Changes

There are a few big changes coming to some characters as well and the main menu is getting an update, too. Target’s health bars will be visible to Zenyatta when Orbs of Discord and Harmony are used. Gamers will notice a new Overwatch League area in the main menu where league matches can be streamed. Console players will see some exciting changes as well. The communication wheel selections can be bound to a button and players will now be able to change the crouch mechanic to a press and hold command. Finally, Ana will have an additional setting for Friendly Aim Assist Strength to help players personalize the level of assistance when aiming at teammates.

A bunch of bug fixes is coming to the Overwatch League update, take a look at the official patch notes for additional information.

Rainbow Six Siege: Operation White Noise Now Available

Rainbow Six Siege released its next big expansion leaving players with a lot to look forward to the next time they play. This popular first-person shooter recently celebrated its two year anniversary and Ubisoft surprised fans with new content over the course of 2017. Now with Operation White Noise, fans can get excited for some new operators, a brand new map, and a variety of other updates for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

The biggest additions to White Noise are the new playable characters, better known as operators. This time around the update is modeled after South Korean Special Forces, the 707th Special Mission Battalion. First, there’s Dokkaebi, who is an attacker that has a logic bomb for her unique gear, allowing players to hacks enemies equipment and reveal their position with a loud noise. Next, their is Vigil, a defender with access to a device called the Electric Rendering Cloak, or ERC-7, which makes the operator invisible to enemy cameras. Finally, much like the last expansion players are getting an operator from the canceled Poland expansion. Zofia Bosak is equipped with the KS79 Lifeline, a grenade launcher that can fire explosive and concussive rounds.

Typical Ubisoft

This expansion follows the typical Rainbow Six formula where season pass holders get the characters for free, with everyone else able to use in-game credits to purchase the operators on December 12th. The piece of content everyone gets for free is the new map Mok Myeok Tower. This arena is set near the top of a skyscraper observation tower, which has a multitude of rooms to fight in and focuses on the map’s vertical landscape.

Ubisoft Improves The Core Game

Other than all the new content, Ubisoft is making some adjustments to the core of the game with the update. One of these improvements is a new synchronization logic for some projectiles with a primary focus on grenades. This is intended to stop situations where a grenade suddenly ends up in a place it shouldn’t. For example, right in front of the throwers face. Additionally, grenade throws are affected by movement, now throwing a grenade while running will cause the explosive to travel further.

Operation White Noise also increased the fire rate of handguns and new UI elements have been added to help track buffs and debuffs. Of course, a host of new bug fixes have been added that repair issues with specific maps, weapons, and operators. If you’d like to see the full patch notes you can find them here and for more info on Rainbow Six Siege be sure to check back with GigamaxGames.com!

Destiny 2: Was It Worth The Hype?

Many players had a strange relationship with the first Destiny. Bungie told people to expect a 10-year game that will continuously grow and improve as time went on. However, this was far from the truth. The original Destiny left a bad taste in many gamers mouths, feeling as though it was disrespecting the players time and just adding enough content to string people along. Some loved the game, but there is no doubt that the game, at its core, was seriously flawed but now all eyes are on Destiny 2.

The Worry Was Real

This left gamers worried if Destiny 2 had the potential to save the franchise. When people found out all of their hard earned rewards would be stripped away and then be forced to start from scratch, it wasn’t the best introduction. But to the surprise of many Destiny 2 and the developers at Bungie took the community’s criticism of the first game to heart and it shows in a big way.

One of the main issues with original Destiny was the lack of rewards and the countless hours spent on repetitive grinding to receive any piece of worthwhile gear. This was far beyond the expected grind in this kind of ‘open’ exploration game. Bungie seemed to put all their chips in the exquisite gunplay and ignore a fully fleshed out campaign or any substance when it came to the grind. Running around a small map searching for chests that spawn in the same location on a timer is not an exciting gaming experience.

Destiny 2 May Have Done It

Destiny 2 is a monumental improvement over the original. Even though players have to start from scratch, the intro of the game provides a nice flashback of their time in the original. Milestones are remembered with a slideshow once a player starts the game, showing off their greatest achievements and even lists the players that were in the group when completed. This short but sweet ode to your original Destiny fireteams was the right kind of send off for the misstep that was Destiny.

Even those that truly enjoyed the original Destiny have said it felt as though it was just one big beta for Destiny 2. Bungie did it right with this latest installment. Each planet has a more robust environment giving the sensation of being alive, more so than anything the original ever offered. The amount of story, strikes, and content offered at launch puts the original to shame and is an incredible indicator of things to come. The story evoked emotions and NPC’s have relatable personalities. With Bungie stating that they will be adding content much more regularly, one can only imagine where it will go from here.

Overall Bungie redeemed themselves with Destiny 2. This latest title truly shows that the developers listened to their audience and put some real thought into the new game. It feels as though this is just the beginning for one of the most highly anticipated shooters in history. If Destiny was able to reach impressive heights with lackluster content, there’s no telling how far the second game can go.

In the Name of the Tsar

The next big update for Battlefield 1 is available now. Aptly named, In the Name of the Tsar, this DLC offers players an opportunity to take part in the Russian civil war. As per usual, the download includes new maps, a new mode, more weapons, vehicles, and a host of various bug fixes. Remember as of now, the update is only available to season pass holders. Without exclusive access, players will have to wait two weeks before they have a chance to play.

Maps

Galicia – An entrenched fight across a war-torn river valley.

Brusilov Keep – A small village high in the Carpathians braces for a Russian siege.

Albion – German ships invade the West Estonian Archipelago.

Tsaritsyn – Old and new Russia clash in the war-torn streets of Tsaritsyn.

Volga River – An epic tank battle along Volga River.

Maps for this update try to capture the severity and brutality of the Russian Civil War in the early 1900’s. The locations range from blown apart tundras to cities in all out war barely being held together. Dice also made sure In the Name of the Tsar had big vehicle battles where No Man’s Land is a death sentence for anyone outside of the metal behemoths.

Game Mode

Supply Drop is the newest way to experience Battlefield 1. Made to capture the impact planes had on resupplying across the WW1 battlefields. Players will have to rush for supplies that fall from the skies and defend the box until it’s empty and the team that comes out with the most supplies is the victor.

New Operations

Fans of the Operations game mode, which recreates battles from WW1 in a conquest style fight, will be happy to hear that two new battles will be available.

Brusilov Offensive – The Russian army deploys new tactics on the Eastern Front in 1916.

Red Tide – The Russian Red Army and White Guard clash in civil war during 1919.

Weapons and Vehicles

While Dice didn’t detail all of the weapons and vehicles they provided a full list of the technology included in the update.

Vehicles

Putilov Garford

Ilya-Muromets

Y-lighter

305/52 O Coastal Gun

Hussar Cavalry Unit

Weapons

Assault

Model 1900

SMG 08/18

Medic

FA Automatic Rifle

General Liu Rifle

Support

Parabellum MG 14/17

Perino Model 1908

Scout

Mosin Nagant M91

Vetterli Vitali M1870/87

Pilot

C93 Carbine

Sidearm

Nagant Revolver

Obrez Pistol

Melee

Cossack Dagger

Dud Club

Bug Fixes

UI

Fixed issue where the wrong rank icon was displayed on the Kill Card for Rank 110.

Fixed issue where some weapons were not being fully customizable from the front end.

Replaced shortcuts on Home Screen with dynamic Battlepacks and Service Assignments widgets.

The name filter now trims empty filter texts in the Server Browser.

Game servers with custom configuration are now designated as CUSTOM in the Server Browser.

Fixed issue accessing Options menu after leaving the server queue.

Fixed an issue in the End of Round screen where all Class Rank icons were gold instead of the corresponding Gold, Silver, or Bronze Rank value.

Vehicles

Bombers should no longer take multiple damage pings from a single bullet.

Changes to stationary weapon repair and respawn – if not repaired for two minutes, the QF1 AA, FK96 Field Gun, and 305/52 O Coastal Gun will be restored to full health. Players can still use a repair tool to get them back into action faster.

Fixed issue where dismounting a horse while it was jumping would cause it to get stuck in the jump animation.

Weapons

Fixed issue where it was possible to spawn with duplicate gadgets.

Maps and Modes

Fixed collision on staircase in Fort de Vaux to allow players to climb them while prone.

The Best Squad screen will now appear after an operation is completed.

Fixed issue where character models would appear blurry in the Best Squad screen.

Improved loading of the Customize Soldier screen on the main menu.

Fixed issue where the kill card would sometimes not show while spectating other players.

Other than a few other minor changes that is everything that is added with the In the Name of the Tsar expansion. This DLC gives the perfect excuse to hop back into the game and test out all the new equipment available. This is not the end of Battlefield’s expansions though, two more are currently planned with no confirmed release date. Make sure to keep checking back with GigamaxGames.com for more information when it becomes available!

Call of Duty: WW2 Beta Adjustments

Call of Duty: WW2’s first beta wrapped up on August 27th and overall the game was received well by the community. There were some obvious adjustments that needed to be made such as balancing issues but the fans made sure the developers knew about them. Sledgehammer, a subsidiary of Activision, is heading the Call of Duty: WW2 project and they’re taking gamers comments to heart. Players can expect the second beta to feature some improvements that could deliver a more refined experience.

“New Maps and Modes”

Before diving into the most notable updates, Sledgehammer hinted at another bit of exciting news. In their blog post, before the update information, they mentioned hearing feedback on playlist variety and are working to improve it. The next sentence stated, “You know what else would improve it? More maps and modes.” New maps and additional game modes would make an already exciting beta even more entertaining.

Major Improvements and Updates

– Improvements are being made to hit feedback which includes better audio and a more prominent headshot indicator.

– They are reducing Molotov to x1 per Scorestreak.

– Default incendiary shells is turned off and they mentioned a future nerf is possible.

– Expect Paratrooper strength / cost balancing.

– They mention Recon Aircraft were found to be too vulnerable to rifle damage.

– Color Blind support option will be added.

The list above includes the most major gameplay updates but you can find the full list on the official blog post.

Be sure to check out the Live Stream of Call of Duty: WW2 beta below:

Beta Details

The second beta weekend begins on Friday, September 1st (10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET) and will continue through Monday, September 4th. It will be available on both PS4 and Xbox One and only to those who have preordered the game.

It was exciting to have the chance to see Call of Duty return to their roots and the beta delivered a fulfilling experience. Having the chance to play some Zombies would tie it all together however that isn’t necessarily out of the question when looking at Sledgehammer’s comments. Hopefully the developer continues to accept and embrace the feedback from the beta and makes adjustments along the way to deliver the best Call of Duty possible in November.

Have Mercy: Blizzard Buffs Popular Healer

It seems that every few months Blizzard likes to change the meta for their insanely popular hero based shooter, Overwatch. This time around their monthly update includes changes to the way D.Va and Mercy operate. As of now, these updates are live on the PTR for gamers to test out and fans will notice that those aren’t the only changes.

The most robust overhaul is coming to the popular healer, Mercy, who is getting a completely different ultimate. Not to worry though, she can still resurrect people only now it’s a standard ability. Instead of reviving all her teammates with her ultimate, now it only resurrects one partner within five meters, has a 30 second cool down, and she is not invincible while casting the power.

The Dawn of Valkyrie

Her new ultimate is aptly named Valkyrie, which according to Blizzard “unleashes the full power of Mercy’s Valkyrie suit.” This power buffs both her suit and weapons in an extraordinary way. Check out the full list of what happens when the ultimate activates:

Caduceus Staff: Mercy’s healing and damage boost beams now affect all allies near the targeted teammate, and the staff’s effective range has been extended

Blizzard explains why they decided to update the beloved healer, “While resurrecting downed allies is a core part of Mercy’s gameplay, the way her Ultimate functioned was causing a number of problems,” they continued “It was frustrating to play against, and it incentivized Mercy players to hide away from important battles, instead of taking part in them. This version turns Resurrect into a single target ability. It’s still an important part of Mercy’s kit, but plays much better for both Mercy players and her enemies. Valkyrie, the new Ultimate, gives her the opportunity to make big game-making plays and opens a number of new options for her.”

Nerf This

Also new to the update are Blizzards previously detailed and controversial changes to the way D.Va plays. To make her a more formidable attacker she’s been given a cluster of micro-missiles as well as the ability to fly and shoot at the same time. Sound a little unfair? It probably is and that’s why they are also nerfing the recharge rate of her defense matrix. Finally, the only other character change is while Reinhardt has his shield up players can click the attack button and spin the camera 360 degrees.

Overwatch fans are certainly voicing their opinions on the latest changes and as usual they range from anger to overt happiness. We hear at Gigamax just love to watch the chaos following a dramatic update to this insanely popular game. It is not surprising that fans get so emotional during these times considering how invested many players are and the competitive nature of the game.

Earlier this year the developers behind Yooka Laylee, Playtonic Games, launched an update for the PC version titled “Spit N’ Polish.” This update fixed many peoples issues with the platformer that was inspired by the glory days of Banjo-Kazooie and as of yesterday, the patch has been added to the PS4 and Xbox One editions of the game.

Image Source: http://bit.ly/2wAfDUx

One of the many changes that the indie developer made was a new optional camera that gives the player way more control over where they can position the once fidgety system. This seemed to be one of the main concerns of the Spit N’ Polish update as many reviewers considered the camera to be a major downside to the experience.

In addition to the new camera, the game also makes adjustments to the game’s flying and first person aim controls, the ability to skip cutscenes and dialogue, an option to shorten the iconic “gibberish” voice acting, and tons more that Playtonic detailed on their Spit N’ Polish blog post.

Some of the bigger changes include:

Pagies have added signposts to Hivory Towers to help guide players to new worlds

Design tweaks to all arcade games

Improved speed when scrolling through Totals Menu

New moves section added to pause menu, with image guide

Restart option added in the pause menu during arcade games and Kartos challenges

“Sonar-able” objects now have clearer visual identity

Laser move no longer requires player to crouch

Improved Transformation controls

Minecart control and hitbox improvements

Improved Rampo boss fight

Performance improvements

Image Source: http://bit.ly/2wAfDUx

Playtonic is still hard at work on the Nintendo Switch version, set to replace the canceled Wii U version of Yooka Laylee. No release date has been set for their return to Nintendo but Playtonic tweeted a picture of the game running on the new console so hopefully, we’ll see it soon. The developer also detailed that the Switch version would come with the Spit N’ Polish update already implemented.

Next Street Fighter 5 DLC Character Revealed

A new face is about to join the Street Fighter 5 cast of characters and long time fans of the series will certainly be happy with the new addition. Revealed through a brief trailer over the weekend, the popular fighter Abigail from the Final Fight series will be bashing his way into the series. This news should come as no surprise to Street Fighter fans as this is not the first time Capcom borrowed a character from their other popular fighting game collection.

Abigail The Power House

Players of the original Final Fight will remember Abigail as a power house that could take hits and dish out the damage at the cost of speed. This character was part of the Mad Gear Gang in the lore of Final Fight and fans of the game didn’t encounter him until the end of the game. Previously, Capcom had introduced another of the Mad Gear powerhouses, Hugo, into Street Fighter 3: Second Impact. At the time, Hugo was quite literally the largest addition to the Street Fighter series but based on Abigails’ size it seems there’s a new contender for the biggest overall character.

More To Come

Abigail also comes with a collection of costumes that are all very unique. The first features the bruiser in a tank top with some very trendy tires as sweatbands. His battle costume changes his hair to red dreadlocks and replaces his tires with chains. Lastly, his story costume has him wearing a welding mask and an even bigger tire.

This will mark the fourth of six DLC characters that are set for release in Street Fighter 5’s season two collection. Akuma, Kolin, and Ed were all previously released and all came with 3 separate costumes as well. Abigail is set to release on July 25th with his brand new stage Metro City Bar Area. Gigamax Games will be keeping a close eye on Street Fighter 5’s season two so be sure to keep checking back for more details!

Horns of the Reach: The Elder Scrolls Online Update

The Elder Scrolls Online may have had a slow start but things picked up, and quickly. This massively multiplayer online game has been brought to new heights and a brand new DLC game pack is almost here, Horns of the Reach.

Horns of the Reach is the latest content from ZeniMax Online Studios and the community couldn’t be happier. Quickly following the massive Morrowind expansion, the Horns of the Reach DLC will be available on all platforms this August. It will be available on the Crown Store and included with an ESO Plus Membership. This DLC will offer players a chance to defend the town of Falkreath and so much more.

New Dungeons

Rumored to have been created by Daedric Prince Hircine, Bloodroot Forge is the first of two new dungeons coming to the Elder Scrolls Online. According to the official ESO website, the forge is rumored to be able to “create weapons of unbelievable power”. It will be the adventurers’ job to battle their way through thick vegetation and lava filled halls to reach the forge and stop Gherig Bullblood’s plans.

The second dungeon making its way to this incredible world is Falkreath Hold. This is a town under siege and it’s the player’s job to fend off the hordes of Domihaus the Bloody-Horned. As adventurers fight their way through the town, they will arrive Jarl’s Hall where they must rip away the warlord’s hold over Falkreath.

Both of these dungeons will be available on normal and veteran difficulty. They will also include the veteran hard mode for the last boss. Players can expect new loot that includes unique item sets, monster sets, and achievements.

PvP

In what is ESO’s 15th update they will be including new PVP content as well. Additional content will be added to the 4x4x4 game mode along with a new map, Arcane University. This new map is set in a college in the Imperial city. Players won’t need the Imperial City update to play the Arcane University.

The DLC includes a new battlegrounds game mode called, Chaosball. Fast-paced and grueling this new game mode sounds like it will be an interesting addition to ESO’s PvP portfolio. Players on each of the two teams will be tasked with trying to grab the ball before the other team has a chance. The longer a player can hold onto the ball, the more points they will generate for their team. The ball also comes with a health and armor debuffs while simultaneously causing damage to the player holding the ball and their entire party. Unfortunately for some, this battleground and game type will only be available for those who own the Morrowind expansion.

Quality-Of-Life Improvements

Along with all of the additional content explained above, the developers are adding a few quality of life improvements. A system to better keep track of which attacks are yours, the option to cancel research mid-way and banks will now accept Writ vouchers and alliance points are just some of the most noteworthy. Usual bug fixes will also be included in the Horns of the Reach.

It looks as though ESO might have done it again, but fans will have to wait until August to see for sure. Be sure to check back on GigamaxGames.com to stay up to date with the latest announcements as more details become available. Also, you can expect to see even more ESO videos from the Gigamax Crew on the upcoming DLC.

Overwatch’s Doomfist: Meet the Brand New Fighter

After a big origin story reveal last week, Blizzard surprised everyone and made the long awaited antagonist, Doomfist, playable on the Public Test Realm (PTR). This powerhouse is a welcomed addition to the already jam packed character roster. Mixing melee with a bit of ranged makes Overwatch’s Doomfist a formidable opponent. To herald the announcement, Blizzard released a short animated clip that shows the characters escape and how he got put in jail in the first place.

Dommfist: An Origin Story

Doomfist’s origin is a bit of a sad one. Once a highly intelligent and charismatic public figure, Akande Ogundimu, was born to a wealthy family that owned a prestigious prosthetic technology company. Ogundimu expanded his family’s company to new levels and in his free time dedicated his life to learning various forms of martial arts. After the big Omnic Crisis he unfortunately lost his arm which was quickly replaced with a good ol’ robot arm. But because this is a bad guy origin story, the robot arm made him ineligible in the martial arts tournaments he once held close to his heart. Eventually trying to fill this void led him into the arms of the evil mercenary company, Talon, which he quickly took over his business. After years of running the mercenary group he was taken down by our heroes over at Overwatch and locked up until his recent escape.

Combat and Abilities

Doomfist has a host of abilities available to him in order to take out the competition. His main weapon is a short range “Hand Cannon” that is like a shotgun version of the mega buster. Not very good at a distance, this gun is able to close the gap for the character to start using his Doomfist gauntlet, the real damage dealer. Doomfist is also able to close the gap with his seismic slam ability that lets him leap through the air and upon landing, nearby enemies will be dragged toward him. Once up close the anti-hero can use his rising uppercut ability to deal massive damage and launch his opponents into the air. Another handy move in his bag of tricks is the rocket punch, which deals a ton of damage after a short charge and will do even more if the enemy hits the wall. Doomfist will also gain shield charge upon successful ability hits and his devastating ultimate, meteor strike, sends the character to the sky to come crashing back down killing all that land in the blast radius.

Doomfist sounds like an awesome and unique character but that’s not surprising considering Blizzard’s recent additions to the game. This launch follows up their recent “Lunar Colony DLC” and fans can’t wait for the antagonist to be available to all. Currently, Doomfist is only available on the PTR but Gigamax will be sure to have footage when he launches on the PS4 so be sure to keep checking back for more info!